Pudding
by wondercloud
Summary: Who are you?" A short post-finale story that explores one possibility.


Note: I was concocting this in my mind during breakfast, and it really wanted to be let out. I have to ask that you overlook a couple of things for the sake of this story. I realize that 1) Booth would be tired and groggy upon awakening, and not really up to the challenge of all this banter and 2) the doctor would be coming in to check him out, but for the sake of plot this just can't happen.

* * *

(Picking up immediately where the finale left off)

Brennan momentarily froze as she realized what this might mean for them. _He doesn't know who I am._ Booth was the only one who truly knew who she was, what hope did she have if he didn't remember? "I'll get the doctor."

She was almost to the door when he called after her to wait, and she turned.

"If you could just... tell me. I can tell you're important, I just... I can't..."

What should she say?_ 'I'm Bones' _would do nothing to clarify the situation at hand. "I'm your partner, Temperance Brennan."

His eyes widened slightly. "Partner? Like... a lover?"

"We work together," she rephrased simply.

"And we're lovers?"

Brennan wondered, for a split second, what would happen if she said yes. If he never regained his memory, but simply believed that they were together... "I'm afraid not."

This was too much. She was almost to the doorway when, again, he called her to wait. "Bones, come on, do you really think I'd forget you after all we've been through?"

"You- I can't believe you'd-" she crossed the room faster than possible, completely ready to slug him. "Booth!"

"Whoa, easy, easy. Hey, -ow! You can't hit a man who just had brain surgery!"

"You bastard!" She punched his arm somewhat gently, but not gently enough that it didn't hurt him a little. Her voice broke a little, caught between being extremely pissed, and the part of her that was realizing he actually was okay. "Why would you do that?"

"I'm sorry, Bones. I really am. It's just, you know, that's what people always say when they wake up from something like that, the old cliche. You should be glad that my brain still functions well enough to come up with it."

She looked at him, torn between wanting to just be there with him, or punch him so hard he went back into a coma. "That's way worse than not letting me know you weren't really dead. Letting me think you didn't remember us?"

"What 'us', Bones? I just wanted to know what you'd say. How you'd describe us. I wondered if... you'd tell me how much you meant to me. Are you seriously telling me that if I really didn't remember where we stood, you wouldn't want to lie and say we were more than 'partners'?"

"What would you say if it were me lying there, Booth, asking who you were? Do you know how much that hurt?"

He moved his hand over to reach hers. "I'd tell you that you've always been the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, that you infuriate me more than any woman I've ever known, and that before you were too scared to let me in all the way but now that we have a clean slate, I'd like to erase any lines that might have been drawn."

She searched his face. His words had begun somewhat teasingly, but had ended in a seriousness that scared her. "Booth..."

"You've been kidnapped and buried alive. I was almost blown up. We've been shot at and now I've had brain surgery. It just... seems like we might be running out of chances, Bones. Can you really say that this, what we are now, that this is enough?" Booth spoke softly, seeing the difficulty in her eyes.

They sat in what seemed an eternity of silence before she answered. "When I thought... I thought you didn't remember, what if you never regained all of your memory, I was afraid maybe it was too late."

He smiled a little, at this beautiful confused woman who, remarkably, hadn't knocked him back into a coma yet. "Tell ya what, Bones, when I get out of here, we're going out someplace."

"That's incredibly unspecific, Booth."

"I just had my brain operated on, you want me to try and plan a date that's been trying to happen for years?"

"I can't believe you tricked me. When they let you out, they're going to have to re-admit you because I'm going to kick your ass."

"C'mon, Bones. If brain surgery won't get a guy his girl, what can?"

She swatted his arm. "I'm getting the doctor."

"And pudding, right?

She certainly wouldn't, after what he'd put her though in there. Though she supposed it might have worked out to both of their advantages, it was by no means excused.

"You'll bring pudding?" He knew she wouldn't. Oh, well. He'd just have to use his charm smile on the nurse coming into his room. Wait, was that... oh, damn. A male nurse. "Bones wait, I'm sorry!"


End file.
